


A Lifetime

by Boomchick



Series: Tumblr Prompts [13]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: (But mostly hurt), (the comfort is assumed), CPR warning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24585925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boomchick/pseuds/Boomchick
Summary: Oneshot prompt fill from Tumblr(Warning, contains near-death-experience and CPR)Sephiroth knows he shouldn’t stop to help the trooper in the dirt. But he does.
Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife
Series: Tumblr Prompts [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774831
Comments: 5
Kudos: 121





	A Lifetime

**Author's Note:**

> One of a series of prompts written on Tumblr for those who are supporting the BLM movement. This one was requested by an anonymous user who asked for: "A short where mighty general Sephiroth performs CPR on a measly blonde trooper despite normal Shinra practice which involves not wasting time on fallen men during a battle."
> 
> If you've donated, protested, or otherwise supported black lives, you can come and make a request too! https://boomchickfanfiction.tumblr.com/

He should just–

/‘This is Cloud! I’m showing him the ropes.’/

Keep moving. He’s just another–

/'Hi! Um, sir! I mean, good–afternoon?’/

trooper. Just Heideggar’s–

/'Sorry. I’m being so weird, I should go.’/

battle fodder. Down on the ground, blood on his lips and–

/'it’s alright. You can stay, if you like.’/

He’d stayed. Sephiroth stopped. Staring down at him a second longer. Glanced back, but there was no one there. Cloud was alone. He must have gotten separated or… Or left behind.

You should keep moving, Sephiroth told himself, even as he went to one knee by the trooper. Pulled his right glove off with his teeth to check his pulse.

Nothing. How long ago had he heard the explosion? Felt the shockwave? Had he been closer? Had it stopped his heart?

Get up, he told himself. Keep going.

His blond hair was wet with sweat when he pulled the broken helmet the rest of the way off. He looked him over for a mortal wound. No use trying to revive him if he would only come back to die again.

Nothing. He opened the trooper’s mouth. Checked inside. No obvious blockage.

Keep moving, he told himself, almost a plea.

/'Thank you. For today. I’m sorry for being so weird at first.’/

He tilted the trooper’s head back. Sealed their lips together. Forced air into his lips and down into his lungs. Once. Twice.

Crossed his hands over his chest, but gods this was the scary part. This was the part where he had shattered the cpr training dolls twice before finding the right pressure. And they’d stopped bothering to train him after that. How long had it been since he was last licensed?

How long had it been since the little trooper’s heart was beating?

He pressed. Not hard enough. Pressed again. Tried to feel for what he knew should happen. Switched hands so that his bare fingers were against the young man’s chest. Pressed a third time. That felt about right. Borderline disastrous. Maybe enough to crack ribs. But enough to make the heart beat.

/'Oh! Hi! I… I wasn’t sure if it was okay for me to wave at you. Did you mind? I won’t again if–’/

He was counting in his mind. The pacing had never been his problem. Only control. He paused. Breathed for Cloud again. Inelegant, unpleasant, the poor thing would probably have blushed straight to his roots to have caused Sephiroth any trouble at all, much less to have made him kneel in he mud and share breath.

/'I don’t mind. If I cannot stop to say hello, I will simply wave back.’/

He pulled back. Forced Cloud’s heart to beat with a sickening, terrifying combination of restraint and force. This was why he’d wanted to leave. If he’d just walked away… If he’d just walked away, Cloud would just be dead. It would be easy to compartmentalize. Easy to understand. Easy. Sad, but easy. But…

/'I’m sorry. I couldn’t… I couldn’t help them.’  
The dog tags shook together in Zack’s hands, and Sephiroth couldn’t stop looking at them. Couldn’t make himself look up at the young man.  
'I tried. Sephiroth, I’m so sorry. I tried…’/

Not another one, he pleaded internally to no one. Not another one.

The lips he was about to touch twitched. Gasped, hollow. Cloud started shaking. Sephiroth knelt numb beside him, all thought escaping him as below his hands Cloud started to choke for breath.

“GENERAL!” the comm in his ear crackled. “GENERAL, WHERE ARE YOU?”

Sephiroth looked down at Cloud only a moment longer. Pulled free a plume of Phoenix Down and pressed it over his chest, now that he was alive for it to do its work on. Turned him on his side. Touched a hand to his hair delicately. Then stood and moved away, slowly, stiffly, pulling his glove back on and wiping the blood off his lips before anyone could see.

/'Hey! I was wondering if– Oh. Sir? If this is a bad time… H-hey. Are you okay?’/

/'It must be awful. I’m so sorry, sir… I… Would you like company? I can stay.’/

/'How about I make us tea? Mom always said tea helps the heart.’/

/'Thank you, Cloud. I’m… Glad you stayed.’/

/'Any time. Long as you’ll have me, sir.’/

Longer than this, Sephiroth thought back to that memory, walking away as the trooper spat and coughed behind him, staring to come around with the phoenix down working through him. As long as I can keep you.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and for the request!  
> Please donate to https://atlsolidarity.org/ if you can to support my local BLM movement, or find the organization closest to you and support them!


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